Spend enough time in the community, and surely the name Fullmetal Alchemist will have been shouted from the rooftops a thousand times, at least. In this day and age, who hasn't heard of it, right? Those who have done a little homework will have realised there are actually two separate anime adaptations with that name: a 2003 one and a 2009 one. Okay, easy enough to understand. Which one do you watch? And therein lies the bigger problem. Well, in this review, I'll be taking a look at the 2009 one, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and how it fares in comparison to its elder brother.
By now, it's a given that almost everyone will have a general understanding of the basic premise of the series: two brothers, in an effort to bring their mother back from the beyond, perform an experiment that goes horribly wrong, and so begins their journey to try to find a solution to their predicament.
The narrative of Brotherhood is tightly-written, and quite consistent in delivery. It appears to have been a well-planned story with ideas and concepts being developed from beginning to end with seldom a pitfall. There are no stooping lows to the curve, and occasionally it peaks during moments of electric excitement. Arakawa-sensei, the mangaka, has carefully crafted a philosophical epic which manages to seamlessly weave thought-provoking themes and high-octane action. From Plato to Nietzsche, it is clear that the work has taken a page out of some of the most influential philosophical texts ever written, and somehow combined it with its own brand of slapstick comedy and adrenaline-fuelled fights. And the ending achieves a degree of catharsis that few stories ever do. That said, this adaptation, and even the original source material, is unabashedly Shōnen in nature, more so than the 2003 anime. Overall, the tone of the series is significantly lighter and warmer in contrast to the tragedy-loving 2003 adaptation, despite the underbelly of darkness lurking throughout both. Moreover, for some viewers, the first fourteen episodes will appear to be incredibly rushed or paced rather poorly in comparison to the remainder of the show, and some speculate that this was a conscious decision, to speed through the parts already covered by the 2003 adaptation. Whether or not that is true, I cannot say.
Brotherhood has a much larger ensemble than its predecessor, but manages to develop the major players as well as the original. Nobody is perfect, and the story does well to highlight the flaws in each and every single character, including our beloved protagonists and heroes. Many of the antagonists act as interesting and memorable foils for our heroes and will be remembered for years to come. While some may argue that the 'Big Bad' wasn't really all that much, in my opinion, they were actually a fantastic antithesis to Edward. The 2003 anime on the other had a much smaller cast, but as a result allowed a deeper look into many characters who were not as prominent in the manga or 2009 anime.
So, reader, should you watch the 2003 anime or Brotherhood? Easiest answer: watch both of them, and if you end up liking them, check out the manga! On the other hand, for those of you who want to make a concrete decision, then it is better to see them for what they are. They are different shows. The 2003 anime is a dark, character-piece which delves into the lives and tragedies of our main characters as they realise the truth of their world. Brotherhood is the epic journey of two brothers and their friends as they uncover the truth behind their world on the path to redemption.
And with that, I bid you adieu.
